diff --git a/README b/README
index 11f0103..1bed3a5 100644
--- a/README
+++ b/README
@@ -71,6 +71,15 @@ OPTIONS
               side of the screen. Y is measured from the top and down respectevly. see also EXAMPLES show the notification on monitor n.
 
 
+NOTIFY-SEND
+       dunst is able to get different colors for a message via notify-send. For that, you have to add a hint via the -h option.
+
+       notify-send -h string:fgcolor:#ff4444
+
+       notify-send -h string:bgcolor:#4444ff
+
+       notify-send -h string:bgcolor:#4444ff -h string:fgcolor:#ff4444
+
 FORMAT
        fmt is a string containing placeholders. The placeholders will be replaced with the corresponding text, or if the text is not present, nothing.  Possible placeholders are:
 
diff --git a/dunst.1 b/dunst.1
index 2e2c125..e681f2e 100644
--- a/dunst.1
+++ b/dunst.1
@@ -96,6 +96,14 @@ show the notification on monitor n.
 The geometry of the message window. The height is measured in lines everything else in pixels. If the width is omitted but the height is given ("-geometry x2"), the message window expands over the whole screen (dmenu-like). If width is 0, the window expands to the longest message displayed. A positive x is measured from the left, a negative from the right side of the screen. Y is measured from the top and down respectevly. see also EXAMPLES
 show the notification on monitor n.
 
+.SH NOTIFY-SEND 
+dunst is able to get different colors for a message via notify-send. For that, you have to add a hint via the -h option. 
+.TP
+.BI "notify-send -h string:fgcolor:#ff4444"
+.TP
+.BI "notify-send -h string:bgcolor:#4444ff"
+.TP
+.BI "notify-send -h string:bgcolor:#4444ff -h string:fgcolor:#ff4444"
 .SH FORMAT
 fmt is a string containing placeholders. The placeholders will be replaced with the corresponding text, or if the text is not present, nothing.
 Possible placeholders are:
diff --git a/dunst.c b/dunst.c
index f3b1a71..bce2716 100644
--- a/dunst.c
+++ b/dunst.c
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ typedef struct _msg_queue_t {
     time_t start;
     int timeout;
     int urgency;
+    unsigned long colors[ColLast];
 } msg_queue_t;
 
 typedef struct _dimension_t {
@@ -71,7 +72,7 @@ static int font_h;
 static const char *format = "%s %b";
 
 /* list functions */
-msg_queue_t *append(msg_queue_t *queue, char *msg, int to, int urgency);
+msg_queue_t *append(msg_queue_t *queue, char *msg, int to, int urgency, const char *fg, const char *bg);
 msg_queue_t *delete(msg_queue_t *elem);
 msg_queue_t *pop(msg_queue_t *queue);
 int list_len(msg_queue_t *list);
@@ -93,13 +94,28 @@ void usage(int exit_status);
 #include "dunst_dbus.h"
 
 msg_queue_t*
-append(msg_queue_t *queue, char *msg, int to, int urgency) {
+append(msg_queue_t *queue, char *msg, int to, int urgency, const char *fg, const char *bg) {
     msg_queue_t *new = malloc(sizeof(msg_queue_t));
     msg_queue_t *last;
+    Colormap cmap = DefaultColormap(dc->dpy, DefaultScreen(dc->dpy));
+    XColor color;
+
+
     new->msg = fix_markup(msg);
     new->urgency = urgency;
     new->urgency = new->urgency > CRIT ? CRIT : new->urgency;
 
+	if(fg == NULL || !XAllocNamedColor(dc->dpy, cmap, fg, &color, &color)) {
+        new->colors[ColFG] = colors[new->urgency][ColFG];
+    } else {
+        new->colors[ColFG] = color.pixel;
+    }
+	if(bg == NULL || !XAllocNamedColor(dc->dpy, cmap, bg, &color, &color)) {
+        new->colors[ColBG] = colors[new->urgency][ColBG];
+    } else {
+        new->colors[ColBG] = color.pixel;
+    }
+
     if(to == -1) {
         new->timeout = timeouts[urgency];
     } else {
@@ -291,8 +307,8 @@ drawmsg(void) {
         if(cur_msg->start == 0)
             cur_msg->start = now;
 
-        drawrect(dc, 0, dc->y, width, font_h, True, BG(dc, colors[cur_msg->urgency]));
-        drawtext(dc, cur_msg->msg, colors[cur_msg->urgency]);
+        drawrect(dc, 0, dc->y, width, font_h, True, BG(dc, cur_msg->colors));
+        drawtext(dc, cur_msg->msg, cur_msg->colors);
 
         dc->y += font_h;
         cur_msg = cur_msg->next;
@@ -612,7 +628,7 @@ main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
         else if(!strcmp(argv[i], "-cto"))
             timeouts[2] = atoi(argv[++i]);
         else if(!strcmp(argv[i], "-msg")) {
-             msgqueue = append(msgqueue, strdup(argv[++i]), -1, 1);
+             msgqueue = append(msgqueue, strdup(argv[++i]), -1, 1, NULL, NULL);
              listen_to_dbus = False;
         }
         else if(!strcmp(argv[i], "-mon")) {
diff --git a/dunst_dbus.c b/dunst_dbus.c
index ccc46de..edcad35 100644
--- a/dunst_dbus.c
+++ b/dunst_dbus.c
@@ -165,6 +165,8 @@ notify(DBusMessage *dmsg) {
     const char *summary;
     const char *body;
     const char *icon;
+    const char *fgcolor = NULL;
+    const char *bgcolor = NULL;
     int urgency = 1;
     char *msg;
     dbus_uint32_t nid=0;
@@ -203,6 +205,22 @@ notify(DBusMessage *dmsg) {
                 } while(dbus_message_iter_next(&hint));
 
             }
+            if(!strcmp(hint_name, "fgcolor")) {
+                dbus_message_iter_next(&hint);
+                dbus_message_iter_recurse(&hint, &hint_value);
+                do {
+                    dbus_message_iter_get_basic(&hint_value, &fgcolor);
+                } while(dbus_message_iter_next(&hint));
+
+            }
+            if(!strcmp(hint_name, "bgcolor")) {
+                dbus_message_iter_next(&hint);
+                dbus_message_iter_recurse(&hint, &hint_value);
+                do {
+                    dbus_message_iter_get_basic(&hint_value, &bgcolor);
+                } while(dbus_message_iter_next(&hint));
+
+            }
         } while(dbus_message_iter_next(&hint));
     } while(dbus_message_iter_next(&hints));
 
@@ -220,7 +238,7 @@ notify(DBusMessage *dmsg) {
     if(expires > 0) {
         expires = expires/1000;
     }
-    msgqueue = append(msgqueue, msg, expires, urgency);
+    msgqueue = append(msgqueue, msg, expires, urgency, fgcolor, bgcolor);
     drawmsg();
 
     reply = dbus_message_new_method_return(dmsg);